“Solvitur Ambulando” – It is solved by walking, 2016 Labyrinth Walks (Walk 18/40), St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran church, Southport NC, Leap Day 2016: Since today is the day we artificially realign our clocks with the universe, it made for an especially good day to walk another labyrinth. I needed to realign with the universe.

Darkness

Cross centered labyrinth

Interesting brick pattern

Sand

Stars
Be still and know that I am God. ￼

“The labyrinth at Saint Peter is an original seven-circuit design in the form of a cross. It has only one entrance as it takes you on a journey that weaves around the center cross and then out again the same way you entered. You may take as long as you like to make this journey. We extend an invitation to people of all faiths, especially those in transition or struggling to find a means of prayer or meditation.

Another gorgeous day
Black crow cawing
Strong full sun
Cool weather
Lamppost lion, a witch and wardrobe lamppost
Worn bench
Camellias
Small airplane circling
Moss cross second quadrant 4th row , and in petals
Thinking about yesterday meanings of the six petals of the center. Mine are: physical, emotional, relational/social, spiritual, religious (my relationship with God via Christ) and time… Past and future (and when I stand at the center i am in the moment.)
I circle the petals twice, once looking inward, once looking outward.
Breathing
Construction noises

“The labyrinth is a spiritual tool meant to awaken us to ourselves into the light that calls from within. In surrendering to the winding path, the soul finds healing and wholeness.”

We are all on the path precisely where we need to be.

It can be a path of prayer, reduce stress, and self knowledge, help us move through transitions in life, quiet the mind, give solace, peace, clarity, celebration, give comfort and solace to the weary soul.

There are three “r”s to walking the labyrinth: releasing as you walk in, receiving in the center, and returning – taking your experience back out into the world.

In the center are six petals. They can stand for many things. One thought is: starting on the left are minerals (healing), vegetable, animal, human, angles and the last one is the unknown (beyond the grasp of the human mind).

2.26.16

Potter more, 29 signs, Hermione and Ron, Harry Potter: I missed most of the signs …

You may think that this famous romance only kicked off after several years of Hogwarts and He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, but we like to think the signs were always there…

Mark Willenbring, Substance Abuse Treatment Begins With Research, The New York Times:

“Sounds like a prison camp,” Dr. Willenbring said softly, leaning forward in his chair to pass a box of tissues. Continue reading the main story Sign Up for the Science Times Newsletter Every week, we’ll bring you stories that capture the wonders of the human body, nature and the cosmos. He began explaining the neuroscience of alcohol and drug dependence, 60 percent of which, he said, is attributable to a person’s genetic makeup. Listening intently, the young patient seemed relieved at the idea that his previous failures in rehab might reflect more than a lack of will. Dr. Willenbring, 66, has repeated this talk hundreds of times. But while scientifically unassailable, it is not what patients usually hear at addiction treatment centers. Rehabilitation programs largely adhere to the 12-step principles of the 80-year-old Alcoholics Anonymous and its offshoot, Narcotics Anonymous. Addicts have a moral and spiritual defect, they are told; they must abstain from alcohol and drugs and surrender to a higher power to escape substance abuse. This treatment is typically delivered through group therapy led by counselors whose main qualification is their own completion of the program. In some states, drug counselors with only a high school degree may treat patients, according to a 2012 study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Dr. Willenbring says he believes this approach ignores the most recent research on the subject, a judgment he is well qualified to make. From 2004 to 2009, he was the director of treatment research at the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and he oversaw dozens of studies proving the efficacy of medications and new behavioral therapies to treat drinking problems.

For a few weeks in February if the conditions are just right, for about 10 minutes around sunset, one waterfall in Yosemite National Park looks more like its opposite — a firefall. Visitors who flocked to the park this week, many with cameras in tow, have not been disappointed by the glowing transformation of Horsetail Fall, which flows from El Capitan. “In the over 20 years I have been photographing the firefall and leading workshops there in Yosemite, I have never seen a more spectacular one,” said Michael Mariant, a photographer from Morro Bay, Calif., who leads teaching trips to Yosemite. The phenomenon occurs only if there has been enough snow and rain in the Sierra Mountains to fuel the waterfall, if the skies are clear and if the setting sun strikes the water at an angle that creates the illusion of lava.

If you go on Wikipedia and look at ‘shit happens,’ you see my name,” Eble said. It started as a class assignment. Every semester, Eble asks her students to write down new catch phrases on index cards that she collects and compiles into a list.

And on the list from 1983 is first alleged recorded use of “shit happens.” “A female student turned in ‘shit happens,’ and wrote this: ‘When informed that he flunked the test, the guy replied, ‘That shit happens.’’” Although that student remains anonymous, Eble has gained more recognition for coining the phrase than she’d like to take credit for. “This gets brought up every so often,” she said. “Will this never die? I didn’t come up with it — it just so happened that my list was the earliest citation. And now it’s become sort of an urban myth.”

Spoon some aioli on a piece of toast, dunk it in the broth, and eat it along with the white wine-soaked mussels. Repeat. Ingredients

SERVINGS:

4 Lemon

Aioli

1 large egg yolk

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1 tsp (or more) fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Mussels

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup white wine

4 pounds mussels, debearded, scrubbed

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Sliced country-style bread, toasted (for serving)

Lemon Aioli Whisk egg yolk, garlic, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in vegetable oil, then olive oil in a slow, steady stream; whisk until aioli is emulsified. Do Ahead: Aioli can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Mussels Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it begins to darken, about 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add mussels and 1/2 cup water to pot, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels open (discard any that do not open), 10–12 minutes. Ladle mussels and broth into shallow bowls and top with thyme; serve with bread and lemon aioli. Recipe by Dawn Perry Photograph by Gentl & Hyers

Urban birding, David Lindo, ‘sexy’ pastime, Love Nature: I have several birding friends. Now I know it is a ‘sexy’ pastime’!!

There is a commonly-held idea that there are far fewer bird species to be found in the city than in the countryside. But that’s not your experience, is it? Well it’s not true, full stop. I think people do not expect to see wildlife in urban areas, so they don’t see it. It’s all about opening your mind to the idea of seeing wildlife and to imagine the city as how a bird would see it. So for me, buildings become cliffs and even the trees I see around become scattered woodland and even a small patch of reed bed or a small lake can replicate what you’d find in the outer countryside, so I expect to see the same sort of things—albeit in lesser numbers usually . . . The UK had just under 600 species recorded from whenever they started recording back in the early 1900s and nearly 400 species have been seen in London. So I don’t see being in an urban area as a block to enjoying birds and wildlife.

Cold wind
Bright sunshine
Rosemary… Shakespeare quote
Quiet
Butterfly motif
Brilliant blue sky with bright white clouds
Dead leaves on the path which rustle when you walk through
Prayers for the children of Sandy Hook to whom this labyrinth dedicated

As I walked I rubbed some rosemary in my hands and I thought about Shakespeare’s quote …

On Feb. 6, at about 14:00 UTC, a tiny chunk of interplanetary material plunged into Earth’s atmosphere and burned up—likely exploding—about 30 kilometers above the Atlantic Ocean. The energy released was equivalent to the detonation of 13,000 tons of TNT, making this the largest such event since the (much larger) Chelyabinsk blast in February 2013. OK, so first, off: Don’t panic! As impacts go, this was pretty small.* After all, you didn’t even hear about until weeks after it occurred. Events this size aren’t too big a concern. Had it happened over a populated area it, would’ve rattled some windows and probably terrified a lot of people, but I don’t think it would’ve done any real damage.

The hills are alive with the sound of music, which could help people with Alzheimer’s stave off the effects of the debilitating disease. A study by U.S. scientists has shown that the brain function of those suffering from dementia can be improved if they belt out their favorite show tunes. Researchers working with elderly residents at an East Coast care home found in a four-month long study found that people who sang their favorite songs showed a marked improvement compared to those who just listened. Among the songs sung during 50-minute sessions were hits from “The Wizard of Oz,” “Oklahoma!” and “The Sound of Music.” The most improvement was among those sufferers with moderate to severe dementia.

Despite its many skeptics, the concept of psychic archeology proved impossible to dislodge from the discipline’s fringes, reappearing in sensational cases every few decades with Frederick Bligh Bond cited as its founding authority. Archaeologist Philip Rahtz famously called Glastonbury “the mecca of all irrationality,” a paradise for “hippies, weirdos, drop-outs, and psychos.” The fringe practice pioneered at Glastonbury has spread to tourist sites around the world; countless cities promote entertaining ghost tours based on purported revelations from the dead. Encountering a “presence” from the past can be far more engaging for some visitors than reading a history book. The knowledge that it’s part of a rehearsed spectacle competes with the thrill of a first-hand experience to produce a tantalizing sense of possibility. Bond tried to bring that sense of expansive possibility into the realm of scientific fact. His standard of proof was different from that of spiritualists in his time, and probably from most modern ghost tours: psychic archeology was supposed to go beyond sensational apparitions to develop a deep and meaningful connection with “that greater field of thought and experience which we term the Past.”

Justice Scalia, International Order of St. Hubertus, secretive society of elite hunters, The Washington Post:

After Scalia’s death, Poindexter told reporters that he met Scalia at a “sports group” gathering in Washington. The U.S. chapter of the International Order of St. Hubertus lists a suite on M Street NW in the District as its headquarters, although the address is only a mailbox in a United Parcel Service store. [How St. Hubert’s encounter with a deer inspired the society] The International Order of St. Hubertus, according to its website, is a “true knightly order in the historical tradition.” In 1695, Count Franz Anton von Sporck founded the society in Bohemia, which is in modern-day Czech Repu

When I left my house 30 minutes ago, it was pouring. And extremely windy. It is now bright sunshine, 71° and still very breezy.

and a new brochure …

Calling all Walkers

Have you ever felt that you would like to contribute to a cause or take action to solve a problem but you didn’t know how or what to do? A walk on the labyrinth can give you the opportunity to “contribute” and ” take action” through prayer and meditation.

dampness,
in and out of the shadows,
ring of the chimes in the chime tower,
ever faintly the rushing water of the fountain,
rustling of the trees,
broken twigs,
(sign of how bad the storm was, It was not enough to bring down large limbs)
standing water in several areas of the Sacred Garden.

Tulip trees are in bloom! Are they the first sign of spring every year.

After my walk, I drove home in search of daffodils. They are late this year in Charlotte and I only found them a few places.

And when I arrive back, it is pouring, again.

2.24.16

Montreat, Montreat Gate:

Poor gate. Again.

The Guggenheim, 109 Free Modern Art Books Online, Open Culture:

The Guggenheim Puts 109 Free Modern Art Books Online | Open CultureBack in January, 2012, we mentioned that the Guggenheim (the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed modern art museum in NYC) had put 65 art catalogues on the web, all free of charge. We’re happy to report that, between then and now, the number of free texts has grown to 109. Published between 1937 and 1999, the art books/catalogues offer an intellectual and visual introduction to the work of Alexander Calder, Edvard Munch, Francis Bacon, Gustav Klimt & Egon Schiele, Fernand Léger, and Kandinsky. Plus there are other texts (e.g., Masterpieces of Modern Art and Abstract Expressionists Imagists) that tackle meta movements and themes. Anyone interested in the history of the Guggenheim will want to spend time with a collection called “The Syllabus.” It contains five books by Hilla Rebay, the museum’s first director and curator. Together, they let you take a close look at the art originally housed in the Guggenheim when the museum first opened its doors in 1939.

The voice of God can tell you how to navigate traffic. Well, you can hear the voice of the man who has probably portrayed God more than any other actor. Like Kevin Hart and Arnold Schwarzenegger before him, Morgan Freeman is lending his voice to Google’s navigation app Waze is part of the promotion for a new movie. >> Read more trending stories “Far and away one of the most requested voices by Wazers, U.S drivers will now be able to have Mr. Freeman as their new executive copilot,” Waze said in a release Monday. Hart lent his voice to the app to promote “Ride Along” in 2013.

NEW YORK, Feb 22 (Reuters) – A British cathedral sought to reassure visitors on Monday that they could still view a massive sculpture following a Facebook post by the statue’s creator saying the church had moved it because people kept bumping into it while texting. The Salisbury Cathedral, located about 90 miles outside of London, said in a tweet on Monday under the Twitter handle @SalisburyCath: “Don’t worry, you can still see ‘The Kiss’ at theCathedral. We’ve moved the sculpture onto the lawn #Relationships.” “The Kiss” is a 20-foot sculpture of clasping hands by artist Sophie Ryder. On Tuesday, Ryder posted a video on Facebook of a crane moving the statue, with the comment “We had to move ‘the kiss’ because people were walking through texting and said they bumped their heads! Oh well!!”

There may not be 10,000, but this writer is abundantly thankful for these sweet signs of spring

Stephen Curry Is Not Alone, Medium:

2008, following a sophomore season performance that led the tiny, largely unknown Davidson College on an incredible run to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight, Michael Kruse wrote a profile on Steph for Charlotte Magazine. Even then, before the NBA, while Steph was still a student athlete, Kruse noticed something different: “Stephen points when he’s on the court. He points at his teammates when they pass him the ball and it leads to a score, he points to fans in the stands, he even pointed at his parents after he hit an important three-pointer late in the Gonzaga game in the tournament. What he says with the pointing on the court is something he actually told me on the phone one evening many months later. ‘It’s not just me.’… There was “of”-ness…the relationship between the people in the stands and the kid wearing the No. 30 jersey was not one of wanton, arm’s-length idolatry. There was not the typical, expected separation

See a map of everywhere you’ve been Guess what? Your phone is tracking everywhere you go in the background, and there’s a hidden map of your whereabouts lurking in your settings. To check it out, Go to Settings > Privacy > Locations Services > System Services > Frequent Locations and click on any of the listed locations. It even shows you dates and approximate timestamps. Respond to texts without unlocking your phone Rather than go through the trouble to unlock your phone just to respond with an “OK,” just swipe left and hit “Reply” to type your response. Turn the keyboard into a trackpad Pressing down and holding anywhere on the keyboard while you’re typing on a 6s activates a trackpad, where the letters disappear and you can move freely around your text, which makes editing or modifying whatever you’re writing a whole lot easier. Slyly ditch never-ending group text conversations Group texting is great… until it’s not. To rid yourself of the the ongoing deluge of messages, you can see yourself out by tapping “Details” and scrolling down to where it says “Leave This Conversation.” You’re welcome.

Lake Norman’s original purpose was to provide fresh water and flood control for the region. Fifty years later, the lake has transformed into a statewide destination, and the story of what lies beneath its waters continues to fascinate.

…

The planning for Lake Norman began long before 1963. A Duke Power Company forester named Carl Blades walked every inch of those bottomlands, talking to the reluctant farmers who didn’t understand what was coming. The project meant moving cemeteries and homes. In 1957 plans were announced for building the dam at the historic Cowans Ford where Revolutionary War Gen. William Lee Davidson was killed. Gov. Luther Hodges visited in September 1959 to blast the first dynamite for the dam. Bishop Nolan Harmon of the Methodist Church was there to pray, “May the land lost prove prosperity gained.” But the idea was first introduced in 1895, after the world’s first hydroelectric plant was built at Niagara Falls. William States Lee, a young engineer from South Carolina, was there working on the project and reportedly said, “Why can’t we do this back home on the Catawba River?” In 1905, Lee and his friend Dr. Walker Gill Wiley met with James Buchanan “Buck” Duke, North Carolina’s tobacco and textile giant. When Lee and Wiley explained the idea of damming the Catawba River for power, Duke gave them a check for $50,000 to begin the Catawba Power Company (later Southern Power, finally named Duke Power). Lee’s great-grandson, States Lee, stands on a lake pier and recalls adventures with his father, Bill, who served as chief engineer for the lake and later as president and CEO of Duke. States and Bill surveyed the area, climbing through a hollow with pokeberries and briars. When Bill took out a 16-penny nail and hammered it into the base of a pine tree, he told States, then 6, what would happen. “When this lake fills up, it will be two feet below this tree. Now we know where to build our pier.”

Mont Saint-Michel is a commune located one kilometer off the coast of Normandy, France. Over the past 600 years, the island has functioned as a prominent monastery (accessible to pilgrims only during low tide), a French fortification that withstood England attacks during the Hundred Years’ War, and a prison. Today, Saint-Michel is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. 48°38′10″N 1°30′41″W

Noisy … A neighbor to this church is power washing something, no, he is using a circular saw. As I said it is very noisy. But it is always noisy at this labyrinth because it is right next to Tyvola Road. And somewhere nearby are train tracks because I hear very loud train horns. And it is also noisy because the path is made of pebbles. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Winter … There is no sign of spring today, and at this labyrinth, there are dead fall leaves on the lawn. And the sky is overcast.

I wonder if grass would have been cheaper. I really need to create an advice column on what makes for a perfect labyrinth. One thing for sure is that the path needs to be even so that you don’t lose your balance when walking and and the area needs to be buffered from auditory and visual distractions. SIlence is nice. One basic requirement would be that you could walk barefoot. If you can’t, then there is a problem.

Research Lazarus and Bethany …

Jesus: A Pilgrimage: Chapter 18 – Bethany

Fr. Martin makes another point about this story. He wonders, “Why does Jesus shout?” “John’s Gospel says that Jesus spoke in a phonē megalē, a great voice.” We are used to hearing that God speaks to us quietly and that we need silence to hear Him, but Jesus shouts to Lazarus to “come forth”. Fr. Martin says, “Sometimes, however, God needs to speak more loudly” and that “God may need to get our attention… so that the dead parts of us can hear”. For Fr. Martin, “Lazarus’s tomb became the place to leave behind whatever I no longer needed, whatever kept me from new life”. Jesus last words in the story of Lazarus are “unbind him and let him go”. Jesus wants us to be unbound, and freed from our sins and our past. Our sins bring us to a spiritual death and Jesus wants to bring us back, he wants us to be fully alive. Fr. Martin says “Unbind him, and let him go is an invitation to all of us who are freed from old patterns and unhealthy behaviors. Untie him and let him be who he is meant to be.” To become the person we are meant to be we may have to overcome our “stuckness” and our fear of change. At the end of the chapter Fr. Martin tells us “I asked God to take away everything that kept me from becoming the person God wanted me to be. And I asked God for new life.” Then he left the tomb.

Dutch, George Orwell’s Birthday, Putting Party Hats On Surveillance Cameras, BuzzFeed News: this is from 2013, but worth a chuckle!

On Tuesday, surveillance cameras in the center of the city of Utrecht were decorated with colorful party hats to celebrate the 110th birthday of George Orwell, Dutch art duo Front404 explained on their website.

“George Orwell is best known for his book ‘1984’, in which he describes a dystopian future society where the populace is constantly watched by the surveillance state of Big Brother.”

Longtime Alabama resident Scott Stantis is widely viewed as one of the best — if not the best — editorial cartoonists in the country. At one point he was the staff cartoonist for The Birmingham News. And although he’s now at The Chicago Tribune, which is one of the most high profile jobs in his field, Stantis still flies back to Alabama to get his driver’s license renewed. As long as he keeps coming back home — and cranking out cartoons like the one above — we’ll keep claiming him. Stantis’ latest masterpiece is a tribute to Alabama author Harper Lee, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 89.